Letters from the Sky
by catsmeow79
Summary: John/Sara story inspired by the song at the end of the movie.  A little dark, but not TOO dark.
1. Chapter 1

_**Author's Note**__**: So, this little story is a song-fic based on Civil Twilight's Letters from the Sky (which you should totally listen to before, during and after reading this fic) **_

_**Also, this story is a little less fluffy and a little darker than my first one. Hope you like it :-)**_

_**As always, please leave comments, it encourages me to update.**_

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**_"Letters From The Sky"_**

**_One of these days the sky's gonna break_**  
><strong><em>And everything will escape and I'll know<em>**  
><strong><em>One of these days the mountains<em>**  
><strong><em>Are gonna fall into the sea and they'll know<em>**

**_That you and I were made for this_**  
><strong><em>I was made to taste your kiss<em>**  
><strong><em>We were made to never fall away<em>**  
><strong><em>Never fall away<em>**

**_One of these days letters are gonna fall_**  
><strong><em>From the sky telling us all to go free<em>**  
><strong><em>But until that day I'll find a way<em>**  
><strong><em>To let everybody know that you're coming back<em>**  
><strong><em>You're coming back for me<em>**

**_'Cause even though you left me here_**  
><strong><em>I have nothing left to fear<em>**  
><strong><em>These are only walls that hold me here<em>**  
><strong><em>Hold me here, hold me here, hold me here<em>**  
><strong><em>Only walls that hold me here<em>**

**_One day soon I'll hold you like the sun holds the moon_**  
><strong><em>And we will hear those planes overhead<em>**  
><strong><em>And we won't have to be scared<em>**  
><strong><em>'Cause we won't have to be scared<em>**  
><strong><em>We won't have to be, yeah, scared, no<em>**

**_You're coming back for me_**  
><strong><em>You're coming back for meYou're coming back to me<em>**  
><strong><em>You're coming back for me<em>**

**_You're coming back for me_**  
><strong><em>You're coming back for me<em>**  
><strong><em>You're coming back for me<em>**  
><strong><em>You're coming back for me<em>**

**_You're coming back for me_**  
><strong><em>You're coming back for me<em>**  
><strong><em>You're coming back for me<em>**  
><strong><em>You're coming back for me<em>**

**_You're coming_**  
><strong><em>You're coming back for me<em>**  
><strong><em>You're coming back for me<em>**

**_You're coming back for me_**  
><strong><em>You're coming back for me<em>**  
><strong><em>You're coming back to me<em>**  
><strong><em>You're coming back to me<em>**

**_You're coming back for me_**  
><strong><em>You're coming back<em>**

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**Chapter 1**

Sara's eyes began to lose their focus the longer she stared blankly at the computer screen. The photos she was trying to organize blurring beyond all recognition as her eyes drifted slowly shut. Sara's head began to droop as sleep started to claim her. As her chin touched her chest, her head snapped up abruptly as she startled herself awake, her eyes popping open suddenly.

Sara sighed in frustration, rubbing her eyes vigorously with the back of her hands and slapping herself on the cheek several times. "_Get it together, Hart_" she muttered quietly

"_Talking to yourself_?" came a voice from the doorway "_That's a sure sign of insanity, you know_" Mark James teased as he entered the classroom, coming to stand behind Sara at her desk.

"_Or possibly genius_" Sara argued, massaging the crick that had developed in her neck with both hands.

"_How's it coming_?" he asked, looking over her shoulder at the computer screen "_It doesn't look like you've made much progress_" he observed, sitting down beside her.

Nearly a month ago, Sara had volunteered to put together a slide-show of their senior year to show the students and their families at commencement. Now, graduation was only two days away and she _still_ hadn't completed it.

"_I don't know what's wrong with me_" Sara moaned in irritation, banging her head down against the desk several times in rapid succession "_I can't concentrate_."

That had been a common problem for approximately the past year now. Every time Sara would find herself in the darkroom, she would start to drift back in time to the night that she and John developed the pictures that he had taken for her. Sara would start to remember the Mogadorian attack and she would start to worry about John out there in the world facing danger everyday. Or, when Sara would go to assemble an album, she'd start thinking about all the pictures that _weren't_ there, the ones she'd burned to protect John's identity.

"_Yeah, I've gotten used to that_" Mark observed, noticing the bags under Sara's eyes which had been getting steadily worse over the past few weeks _"But now, you don't look so hot, either"_

"_Thanks_" she muttered sarcastically, sending him a withering glare.

"_I just mean _. . ." Mark started, searching for the right words ". . . _I'm worried, that's all_"

Sara smiled, in spite of herself. Over the past year, Mark had turned out to be a really good friend. He was the only one who knew what had _really_ happened at the highschool that night, the only one who knew that John and Six had saved not just Sara's life that night, but the entire planet as well.

"_I haven't been sleeping that well lately_" Sara admitted

Mark nodded sympathetically, urging her to go on.

"_I'm having these really weird dreams_" Sara continued "_I can't remember them at all when I wake up, I just know that my heart is pounding and I'm terrified._"

"_Do you think the dreams are about John_?" Mark asked, placing his hand comfortingly on her shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze.

Ever since John left town more than a year ago, Mark had known that Sara was waiting for him to come back for her. It may have stung a little at first, but Mark couldn't really fault her for her feelings - - John had saved their lives, he'd risked himself to protect them, and ultimately, he'd left town to protect them, to draw the Mogadorians _away_ from Paradise.

"_I don't know_" Sara replied, running her fingers through her hair in frustration "_I don't usually have trouble remembering my dreams about John_" she confessed "_and they're not usually this dark_".

"_What __do__ you remember_?" Mark prompted.

". . . . . _feeling trapped_" Sara whispered

"_Hey_ . . ." Mark joked, trying to lighten the mood ". . . _maybe they're just dreams about life in small-town Ohio_?"

Sara laughed, shaking her head "_You could be right_" she conceded.

"_Come on, let's get this finished_" Mark offered, taking off his varsity jacket and reaching for the mouse. Scrolling down, he found his favorite subject - - himself. "_How about this handsome fellow_?" he joked.

Sara smiled as another memory floated to the surface "_Hey, you remember that time John threw the football and knocked Kevin backward about twenty feet_?" She teased, knowing he was now embarrassed by his behavior that day .

"_Yeah, I remember_" Mark answered, grimacing good-naturedly at her dig "_I was feeling really insecure about my throwing arm until I found out John was an alien_"

"_I think that was the moment I fell in love with him_" Sara confessed

"_I'm __**sure**__ it's when I did_" Mark teased, clutching his heart and fake-swooning.

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tbc


	2. Chapter 2

_**Author's Note: I haven't figured out the art of changing the location without ending the chapter, so this one is **__**really**__** short**_, _**but**_ _**I'm almost finished with Chapter 3, so hopefully it will be up soon too**_.

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_**One of these days letters are gonna fall  
>From the sky telling us all to go free<br>But until that day I'll find a way  
>To let everybody know that you're coming back<br>You're coming back for me**_

**_'Cause even though you left me here_**  
><strong><em>I have nothing left to fear<em>**  
><strong><em>These are only walls that hold me here<em>**  
><strong><em>Hold me here, hold me here, hold me here<em>**  
><strong><em>Only walls that hold me here<em>**

_**One day soon I'll hold you like the sun holds the moon  
>And we will hear those planes overhead<br>And we won't have to be scared  
>'Cause we won't have to be scared<br>We won't have to be, yeah, scared, no  
><strong>_

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**Chapter 2**

The darkness of the woods surrounded Sara, hindering her ability to see. But tonight, there was also an unusual weight - - thick and heavy like a suffocating woolen blanket, stifling her ability to breathe freely. The space between the dense trees was barely enough to allow her small frame to pass, the sharp branches reaching out their fingers to scratch at her skin as she tried to flee. Sara was being hunted. The forest burned behind her as she tried desperately to escape the flames that licked at her heels, but her limbs felt like lead - - she tried frantically to move faster, to no avail.

The ground shook with the footsteps of her pursuers as she finally broke free of the forest's grasp, the open air rushing across her face in welcome greeting. Sara could see the ocean only a few hundred yards ahead. As she moved across the beach, the sand transformed beneath her, giving way to slithering snakes that crawled up her legs, binding them as she struggled in vain to free herself.

Hulking shadows loomed over her, their prey caught. Cold steel flashed in the moonlight, as it plunged into her chest.

_**THUD!**_

Sara awoke with a start as she hit the floor, having tumbled from her bed.

A moment later, her mother was at her side. "_Another bad dream_?" her mom questioned, the worry evident on her face as she sat beside Sara on the floor and stroked her hair soothingly.

Sara could only nod, the terror still coursing through her, causing her body to shake.

"_What was it about_?" her mother asked, helping Sara back into her bed

"_I can't remember_" Sara answered, shaking her head in confusion - - she couldn't remember a single detail of what had frightened her so badly just seconds beforehand "_I don't know_" she repeated.

"_Try to get some sleep, sweetheart_" her mom whispered, kissing Sara on the forehead "_tomorrow's a big day_".

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tbc


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Applause filled the stadium as Sara's year-end photo-montage flashed across the screen, set to Green Day's "_Time of your Life_". Sitting up on-stage, waiting to give her speech, Sara looked out across the stadium at the familiar faces she had known all her life - - her classmates, fellow church members, her family, but she didn't see the one face that she wanted to see more than anyone else's.

In her head, Sara knew why John couldn't come, knew that it wasn't safe for him to contact her or return to Paradise right now. But in this stadium especially, the place where he had saved her life and defeated the Mogadorians, Sara's heart always longed for him more strongly, always hoped to see him standing there, smiling his crooked grin in her direction.

"_Ladies and gentlemen, graduating with honors in photography, Miss. Sara Hart _. . ." The principal announced as the music ended, ushering her to the podium.

"_There's a famous saying that 'a picture tells a thousand words' _. . ." Sara began "_But sometimes, a thousand words aren't __**nearly**__ enough. A picture is a memory, frozen in time, a moment where everything you saw or felt was captured forever on film_. _Sometimes these memories were major milestones, and sometimes they were merely a Tuesday_."

Sara thought back to the first time she'd seen John, looking through the Venetian-blinds of Mr. Simms' office eavesdropping on their conversation, and how irritated she had been at the time.

"_For the class of 2012, these memories will go with us as we start the next phase of our journey, as we leave home and look to find ourselves in college and beyond. The friends that we made here in Paradise and the memories we shared with them, we will carry forever in our hearts_."

Sara remembered the day at lunch again, when Mark and his teammates had been harassing Sam. She remembered the fire in John's eyes when he'd thrown the football back at them, she had felt that same fire in her own belly then, she could still feel it now, burning. Sara had captured that moment on film, and a dozen others all priceless to her heart, but too dangerous to keep. So she had destroyed every physical copy in order to protect him, searing them into her memory instead, where she could look at them anytime she liked.

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_**One of these days the sky's gonna break  
>And everything will escape and I'll know<br>One of these days the mountains  
>Are gonna fall into the sea and they'll know<strong>_

**_That you and I were made for this_**  
><strong><em>I was made to taste your kiss<em>**  
><strong><em>We were made to never fall away<em>**  
><strong><em>Never fall away<em>**

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"_The sacrifices that we've made, the people that we lost, will always be a part of us. And no matter where life takes us, we will always return home, to Paradise_"

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_**One of these days letters are gonna fall  
>From the sky telling us all to go free<br>But until that day I'll find a way  
>To let everybody know that you're coming back<br>You're coming back for me  
><strong>_

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As Sara's eyes swept over the crowd once again, a strange movement caught her eye. Beneath the bleachers, lurking in the tunnel leading back to the school, was a figure standing deliberately in the shadows - -

It was Sam.

Sara gasped, turning to Mark who had sat beside her on the stage, having already given his speech as Senior Varsity team-captain. Sara's eyes motioned toward the tunnel, asking him to look, as if needing his confirmation that she was indeed seeing what she thought she saw.

When Sara turned her gaze back toward the tunnel, Sam's eyes were locked on her, holding her transfixed with their intensity. Sara's breath caught in her throat at his expression - - there was no levity, only darkness as he turned away, disappearing from her view inside the tunnel, beckoning her to follow him.

Suddenly, her heart clenched inside of her chest and Sara knew what her nightmares had meant - - - -

John was gone.

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tbc


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Fear gripped Sara like a vice around her heart and she rushed from the stage abruptly, her cap falling from her head as she charged down the stairs, running toward the tunnel. If she had been listening, she would have heard the crowd gasp in shock at her sudden departure from the podium. She would have heard Mark step up to the microphone and cover for her - - heard him joke about Sara intending to create one final "_thousand-word picture_" for the class of 2012 to remember, but Sara could hear nothing but the thundering of her own blood through her veins as she chased after Sam.

By the time she reached the tunnel, Sara couldn't see Sam in front of her as she ran down the darkened causeway as fast as her pumps would carry her, plunging through the double-doors and back into the hallway of the school.

Sam had stopped just inside of those doors beside the entrance to Mr. Dean's science class, and Sara noted Six leaning casually against the freshman lockers immediately in front of her as she gasped to catch her breath.

"_Well, __**that**__ wasn't exactly subtle_" Six chided, shooting Sam an irritated glare.

"_If we'd come for her __**when**__ I suggested it, we wouldn't have caught her in the middle of graduation in front of such a large audience_" Sam retorted, standing his ground.

Sara could tell immediately that their dynamic had shifted since they'd first left paradise, Sam was no longer the shrinking wallflower he had been the last time she saw him.

"_Where's John_?" Sara asked, terrified of the answer.

"_Come on, we have to go_" Six ordered, blatantly ignoring the question and turning toward the parking lot "_Before the rest of that mob heads to their cars and causes a traffic jam_"

Sam walked over to Sara, gently taking her hand in his and pulling her along as he followed Six toward the car.

"_We'll take you to him_" Sam promised quietly.

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_**One day soon I'll hold you like the sun holds the moon  
>And we will hear those planes overhead<br>And we won't have to be scared  
>'Cause we won't have to be scared<br>We won't have to be, yeah, scared, no  
><strong>_

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Nearly two hours later they were pulling into the parking garage of an old abandoned building just outside of Akron.

"_What __**is**__ this place_?" Sara asked

"_It __**used**__ to be a funny farm_" Six answered glibly, turning the ignition off "_Right now, it's our temporary base of operations_"

Sara followed wordlessly as Sam led the way up the stairs and through the corridors and passageways - - the place was enormous, and after several minutes, she gave up on trying to keep track of where they were going. Finally, they came to a locked door. Six rapped twice on the hard steel, causing a narrow ray of light to appear in the darkened hallway as someone on the other side of the door slid open the slot usually used for delivering meal-trays. Hazel-green eyes stared at them for a moment before a loud "click" sounded, and the door was unlocked.

The door swung open with a reverberating creak to reveal a large room - easily ten times the size of Sara's bedroom at home, only _much_ colder - - these walls were padded and there were no windows at all.

Several empty hospital beds and tables that were clearly not in-use had been pushed together against the wall to the left of the door. Directly in front of them, were three beds that _did_ appear to be occupied - - with clothing, magazines, and various supplies scattered around them.

To the right of the door, in a corner bed set off by itself lay John, completely motionless. The only signs of life were the beeping that emanated from the monitors that measured his heartbeat and respiration and a dull whooshing-sound as the infusion pump pushed the fluids through his IV line.

Sara barely registered the rest of her surroundings as she saw John for the first time in over a year. Walking right past the red-haired girl who tried to introduce herself as Siobhan, number 7, Sara made her way over to John's bed.

"_Hey_" she whispered, sitting down on the stool beside his bed "_You don't call, you don't write . . ._" she joked, reaching over and lacing her fingers with his. Sara couldn't help but notice that his hands were _still_ warm, the recollection making her smile wistfully.

Sam had warned her that John was in a coma, that he hadn't moved or spoken in over a month (not since their last battle with the Mogadorians), but nothing could have prepared her for the reality of seeing him this way.

John was laying perfectly still, only the slight rise and fall of his chest indicated life. His hair was longer than it had been the last time she saw him, and Sara couldn't help but reach her fingers out and brush his hair from where it had fallen into his eyes. He had a few more scars than the last time she'd seen him, and he looked older somehow, _maybe it was the stubble that now covered his chin_?

"_We'll be in the hall if you need us_" Sam whispered, as he and the others backed out of the room quietly.

Sara barely heard him, all her focus on re-memorizing John's face, her fingertips ghosting across his cheek, down his chin and back up the other side. She had spent the past year collecting memories that she'd wanted to share with John, stories about school and her family, realizations about her own feelings for him, and in fate's cruel joke now that they were finally re-united, he couldn't even hear her.

"_I really missed you_" she confessed, leaning forward to whisper in his ear before placing a gentle kiss on his lips. "_**A lot**_"

All of the worry and the waiting and the wondering of the past year seemed to combine with the past month's worth of sleepless nights, hitting Sara like a ton of bricks and suddenly she was exhausted. Climbing up onto the bed beside John, Sara curled herself against his side, laying her head on his shoulder, their fingers still intertwined, and drifted off to sleep.

Sara had no idea how long she had slumbered, she only knew that for the first time in _ages_, her dreams had been free of terror. As she slowly came back to consciousness, she could hear the sound of voices arguing nearby.

"_She's taking a bloody nap? This was some great plan to bring him back, Sam_."

"_It might take more than just one night, Six_" Sam argued, standing his ground "_Nothing __**we've**__ tried has worked, if anyone can reach him, it's Sara_"

"_You and your sappy 'love conquers all' bullshit, Sam_" Six fumed, kicking the ground in frustration "_You're going to get us __**all**__ killed_, _taking chances like this_"

"_Keep it down_" a third voice chimed in with a heavy Irish brogue "_Y'er goin to wake 'er up_"

"_Too late_" Sara retorted, her voice heavy with sleep as she rolled over to face the group.

Sam and Siobhan greeted her with warm smiles, but Six was scowling angrily in her direction.

"_It's time for perimeter patrol_" Six noticed abruptly, looking at her watch "_I'll be back in an hour_" she informed them, stalking away purposefully.

"_Wow_" Sara remarked, her voice still rough from much-needed slumber as she wiped the sleep from her eyes. Strangely, she felt better now than she had in weeks "_She __**still**__ doesn't like me much_"

"_It isn't you_" Sam promised quietly, moving to sit on the stool beside the bed "_She blames herself_" he explained, nodding in John's direction.

"_Which is ridiculous_" Siobhan chimed in, shaking her head sadly "_because we all know it was __**my**__ fault_"

"_No it wasn't_" Sam argued softly.

Sara could tell that they'd had this conversation before, she could also tell by the way Sam looked at the red-head, that there was a developing closeness between the two.

"_He saved me life_" Siobhan insisted, her hand moving to wipe a tear from her lower lid before it spill down her freckled cheek.

"_It was a fight, things happen, people get hurt, it's nobody's __**fault**_" Sam promised, swiveling the stool to face Siobhan "_Do me a favor, okay? Go help Six with patrol so Sara and I can catch-up_"

"_Sure, Sam_" she agreed amiably "_It's nice to finally meet you, Sara_" she offered, trotting off in the same direction Six had disappeared..

Sara took a deep breath and sat up, her feet dangling over the edge of the bed "_How long has he been like this_?"

"_Five weeks, give or take_" Sam answered, trying to keep the hopelessness he felt from showing on his face, it wouldn't do any good to frighten Sara.

Sara could read between the lines - - it was a long time, **too** long. "_Has he seen a doctor_?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

"_Sara, he's not human, they wouldn't be able to help him_"

Sara swallowed hard, the implication dire - - John didn't have a human physiology and **no one** on Earth would know enough about Lorien physiology to heal him, if it were even possible. "_This building looks like it's been abandoned for decades, where did you get all this modern equipment_?" She wondered, indicating the paraphernalia attached to John.

"_Six found it_" Sam explained, a wry smile fleeting across his face "_After it fell off the back of a truck_"

"_You know how to use it_?" Sara inquired, her eyes traveling the length of the tiny tubes and electrodes that led from John's body and up to the numerous machines located beside his bed.

"_I read_" Sam answered shrugging casually, minimizing the hours he had spent scouring the internet for resources on how to care for his wounded friend.

Sara looked down at John's face, his skin less bronze than it had been back in Paradise, and gave the room an appraising glance "_You could have picked a room with a window or two, let a little sunlight in_" she suggested, running her fingertips thoughtfully over John's pale visage.

"_This is easier to defend_" Sam explained gently, trying not to scare Sara "_There's only one way in and out, one point of weakness for us to contend with_"

Sara swallowed as Sam's meaning hit her, and if anything could make her _more_ terrified for John than she already was, _this_ did - - he couldn't defend himself right now, he would be a sitting duck if the Mogs found them. "_So, he hasn't left this room for five whole weeks_?" she asked, imagining how trapped he must feel in this bed, in this place.

"_No, we've only been __**here**__ for 3 days_" Sam revealed "_We've been moving him, trying to keep ahead of the Mogs, trying to keep him safe_"

"_Why did you pick Akron_?" Sara wondered, her hand stroking John's forearm absent-mindedly as she sat beside him. Subconsciously, Sara hadn't stopped touching him since she'd arrived, as if she feared that he would float away like the many dreams she'd had of him while they were parted.

"_I thought he'd like to see you_" Sam replied simply

Sara nodded, she didn't need to say anything, Sam already knew she'd felt the same.

They sat for several minutes in silence before Sam spoke again "_He thought about you all the time, you know_" he revealed, looking up at Sara "_John said it was the first time in his life that he'd ever felt homesick_"

"_I know the feeling_" Sara whispered, brushing her fingertips across the crease that had developed in John's brow - - she wondered what he was dreaming right now, where he was and why no one could reach him there.

"_Where are the others_?" Sara asked, suddenly curious "_You must have found more than just Seven by now_"

"_Eight and Nine are with their guardians continuing the search for Number 5 in Cambodia right now_." Sam explained

"_I thought they were stronger together_" Sara asked, trying to reconcile what Sam was saying with what John had told her of the Lorien legacies.

"_Not right now_" Sam responded, looking down at his best friend lying in the bed, unmoving.

"_They left him_?" Sara questioned, her blood beginning to boil as she reached the most obvious conclusion, "_Because he was hurt_?" John would have never been so disloyal.

"_Sara, we __**had**__ to split up_" Sam explained, reaching out and taking her hand "_John could hardly travel all the way to Africa in a coma, we were lucky to get him this far_. _When they find Number 5, they'll be back_ _for us_."

Sara could only nod, her heart clenching involuntarily as she imagined what would happen to John without Six and Sam here to protect him.

Sara sat beside John, her hand holding his tightly. Sam had gone to make them something to eat nearly fifteen minutes ago and Sara had been sitting there, staring at John, talking to him and praying that he could hear her.

"_You know, back in Paradise, when I watched you drive away, I was so certain that you'd come back for me someday_." She murmured, laying her head beside his on the pillow once again "_I just __**knew**__ it, in my heart_"

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_**'Cause even though you left me here  
>I have nothing left to fear<br>These are only walls that hold me here  
>Hold me here, hold me here, hold me here<br>Only walls that hold me here**_

**_One day soon I'll hold you like the sun holds the moon_**  
><strong><em>And we will hear those planes overhead<em>**  
><strong><em>And we won't have to be scared<em>**  
><strong><em>'Cause we won't have to be scared<em>**  
><strong><em>We won't have to be, yeah, scared, no<em>**

**_You're coming back for me_**  
><strong><em>You're coming back for me<em>**  
><strong><em>You're coming back to me<em>**  
><strong><em>You're coming back for me<em>**

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"_I knew you were worth waiting for then, and it's __**still**__ true now_" she promised, squeezing his hand.

"_**SARA**_!"

Sam's frantic voice cut across the hallway, it's tone sending chills down her spine. "_They're here_" he yelled as he raced into the room "_The Mogs have found us_"

Sara leapt to her feet, adrenaline coursing through her veins as she moved out of Sam's way so he could begin disentangling John from the machines and monitors.

"_Get the wheelchair_" he ordered, nodding in the direction of the closet to her right.

Sara opened the closet door, finding the wheelchair along with a goodly supply of re-appropriated Mogadorian weaponry. Moving as fast as she could, Sara positioned the wheelchair beside John's bed.

"_Help me get him into the chair_" Sam ordered, as he removed the last of John's IV lines from his arm, taping a cottonball in place to prevent bleeding. Sara moved to the opposite side of the bed, kneeling on the mattress to help maneuver him into the chair.

"_There's no time for that_" Six barked, entering the room with Siobhan right behind her

"_The building is surrounded_" Siobhan reported "_They have all the exits covered_, _we'll never be able to move him without being seen._"

The girl's words hung over the room for a moment, each person absorbing their implication in silence.

Six was the first to speak "_Then we make our stand __**here**_" she answered, pulling her shotgun from it's holster.

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tbc


	5. Chapter 5

_**Author's Note: Okay, so this is the final chapter. **_

_**It is also my first attempt at writing action, and it turns out I kinda suck at it. **_

_**My apologies in advance**_**.**

**Chapter 5**

Sam let his chin fall to his chest in defeat, releasing a long sigh as he did. "_I'm sorry_" he whispered, his eyes filled with regret as they met Six's.

"_For what_?" Six responded genuinely, subtly shaking her head as she refused to let Sam shoulder the blame for going back to Paradise.

The moment hung between them as every harsh word that had ever passed was forgiven. Then Sam smiled, and Six smiled back and Sara couldn't recall **ever** seeing such warmth from Six before.

Sara swallowed hard as she realized that they were saying goodbye to each other. _This_ is what Six had feared above all else, _this_ is why they had been running so desperately for the past five weeks - - they couldn't protect John in the state he was in, and they would probably all perish trying.

"_How many_?" Sam asked, breaking the moment as he went into tactical-mode, making his way over to the closet/armory.

The three moved as a unit, communicating without talking, each filling an unspoken role, and Sara could see that they had been through similar scenarios together more than once since leaving Paradise. Sara remained where she was, kneeling on the bed beside John as their activity swirled around her, waiting to be told how she could help.

"_Half a dozen, at least_" Siobhan reported "_Plus whatever surprise is in the dump-truck_"

"_Better odds than last time_" Sam quipped, trying to lessen the tension as he tossed one of the Mog weapons to Siobhan and another one to Six.

Six added the weapon to the ones she already carried on her person, swinging the strap around to secure the gun behind her back. Six walked toward the bed, making brief eye-contact with Sara before looking down at John "_Right back where we started, cowboy_" she noted with a sly smile "_We're gonna have to fight our way out_" she informed him, raising her eyebrow in a challenge, daring him to answer her "_Are you game_?"

Sara watched as Six looked down at John, another hint of emotion playing across her usually stoic features, and for a second, Sara thought that Six might actually shed a tear. Instead, Six slapped John on the shoulder amiably "_Have it your way_" she teased "_Us girls will have all the fun_"

Sara watched as Sam came to stand in front of her, his eyes on Six, awaiting her instructions.

"_Irish, you're with me_" Six commanded, making her way toward the door "_Sam, you're with Four_"

Sam nodded his assent, choosing a weapon for himself from the closet and loading it confidently.

"_See ya, Sammy_" Six winked as she rested the gun on her shoulder. A moment later, Siobhan followed her out the door, shooting Sam an intimate smile as she left.

Sara noticed the wistful glance Sam shot after Siobhan and her heart ached for him.

The door swung shut with a mighty creak behind the Loriens, and Sam turned the wheel to the "locked" position, fastening the door closed. Then, he turned to survey the room, mapping out a defense-strategy in his head. Smiling inwardly, he thought about all the war-games he'd played as a kid, never knowing how truly useful they would turn out to be.

Sara was still kneeling beside John on the bed, her hand holding his instinctively as she waited for Sam to guide her. Sam approached, setting his weapon on the bedside table and leaning down beneath John's bed to unlock the wheel-brakes.

"_Help me move him into the corner_" Sam requested quietly, releasing the brakes.

Together, Sara and Sam rolled the hospital bed into the furthest corner of the room, locking the wheels back into place once they had reached their destination. Then, Sam used the foot pedal to lower the bed vertically so that it rested as close to the floor as was possible.

"_Was it a good idea to split-up_?" Sara asked nervously as she re-situated John's pillows and blankets around him, trying to make him more comfortable.

Sara's one and only previous battle with the Mogs had come so fast and so suddenly that she'd hardly had time to be afraid at all. Plus, John had been holding her hand then, promising to protect her. This time, knowing the Mogs were coming and knowing that there was no running away, she had plenty of time to imagine the worst, and her heart pounded with terror.

"_Do you remember playing 'capture the flag' in third grade gym-class_,_ before Jimmy Baker fell and got hurt and the teachers stopped letting us go into the woods behind the school to hide the flag_?" Sam asked, moving across the room and rolling one of the spare beds in the direction of John's corner _"I was this skinny, nerdy little science geek who always got picked last for teams_" he reminded her "_**except**__ for when we played that game_."

"_I remember_" Sara smiled _"You always had a knack for figuring out where the other team had hidden it's flag_"

"_Right_" Sam affirmed, nodding his head as he rolled a second empty bed over in John's direction "_You know how I did that_?"

"_Science-geek intuition_?" Sara offered jokingly, trying to calm her thundering heart with humor as she began to help Sam in his quest to relocate the hospital beds.

"_Not exactly_" Sam answered, nodding for Sara to grab one end of the nearest bed as he flipped it onto it's side next to John's bed "_I paid attention to where the other team was congregating_" he explained.

As she helped him turn the spare beds onto their sides, Sara finally understood what Sam was doing - - he was building John a shield.

"_Three or four kids, all hanging out in the same spot in the woods - - must be something important they're trying to keep an eye on_." Sam continued, pushing the over-turned beds closer together, to hide John from sight and also to give him some cover from any shooting that might occur "_Heavy Lorien presence would be a dead give-away that we were trying to protect something in this room_"

Sara nodded in understanding as she helped Sam slide the last bed into position in front of John.

"_This way, Six and Siobhan draw the Mog's attention __**toward**__ themselves and the other end of the building and __**away**__ from us."_ Sam concluded, walking toward the opposite side of the room and beginning the same process with the beds on that side.

"_This place is like a maze - - hallways, corridors, it could take a long time to find us in here_." Sara suggested hopefully, helping as Sam began to build another shield on the opposite side of the room.

"_They can smell him_" Sam informed her quietly.

"_Oh_" was all Sara could manage as she continued to help Sam with the beds.

When they were finished, Sam looked up at her seriously "_I shouldn't have brought you here_" he admitted, shaking his head.

"_I __**wanted**__ to come_" Sara argued, looking over at John with tears in her eyes.

"_I'm sorry, Sara_" Sam confessed, reaching out to squeeze her hand in a wordless gesture of regret.

"_I'm not_" Sara insisted, squeezing his hand firmly even as her body trembled in fear.

o

o

o

_**One of these days the sky's gonna break  
>And everything will escape and I'll know<br>One of these days the mountains  
>Are gonna fall into the sea and they'll know<strong>_

**_That you and I were made for this_**  
><strong><em>I was made to taste your kiss<em>**

**_We were made to never fall away_**  
><strong><em>Never fall away<em>**

o

o

o

Sam walked over to the closet and removed the one remaining Mogadorian weapon. It was smaller than the others, more of a handgun than a shotgun really, only requiring one hand to both aim and fire.

"_You just point and shoot_" Sam explained, raising the barrel toward the wall so Sara could see how the laser-sight tracked with the movement of the gun.

"_Just like a camera_" she observed wryly, trying to smile bravely, but the warmth didn't quite reach her eyes. She and Sam had known each other for their entire lives and now it seemed as though they were saying goodbye.

Sam looked over at John and then at the door, trying to find the right words before he looked back at her "_Sara, they aren't here for you_" he began, his eyes boring into hers intensely "_If you stay quiet, if you stay hidden, they won't look for you once they have him_"

Sara shook her head in disbelief, the tears she had been fighting now streaming freely down her cheek "_Sam_ - -" she started to argue, but he cut her off.

"_John wanted for you to be safe more than __**anything**__ in this world_" Sam explained "_He would want for you to run if you get the chance_"

"_We both know that __**he**__ wouldn't leave __**me**_" Sara whispered, her eyes misting over.

"_It isn't the same_" Sam insisted

"_Yes, it is_" Sara argued, fixing her jaw stubbornly.

There was no point in fighting with her about it, it was unlikely to make a difference, so Sam let the issue drop. "_You only have three rounds left_" he cautioned, nodding toward the weapon in her hand "_Make them count_"

"_Got it_" Sara promised, her hands trembling as she held the weapon in her hand.

Sam walked over to the bedside table where he'd left his own rifle and picked up the weapon, pacing over to the door, checking the lock and then pacing toward the other side of the room.

Walking back toward John, Sara climbed carefully over the hospital-bed-barracade and sat down beside him on his bed.

"_Well, you sure know how to show a girl a good time_" she quipped, snuggling next to him once again, this time her face watching the door carefully.

Across the hospital, Sara heard an explosion, and then a rapid succession of gunfire. She lacked the experience needed to know who was firing at whom, she only knew that the entire world was shaking beneath them right now.

"_I won't let anything happen to you_" she murmured against his cheek, echoing the promise John had made to her in the school hallway, so many months ago.

o

o

o

_**One of these days letters are gonna fall  
>From the sky telling us all to go free<br>But until that day I'll find a way  
>To let everybody know that you're coming back<br>You're coming back for me**_

**_'Cause even though you left me here_**  
><strong><em>I have nothing left to fear<em>**  
><strong><em>These are only walls that hold me here<em>**  
><strong><em>Hold me here, hold me here, hold me here<em>**  
><strong><em>Only walls that hold me here<em>**

o

o

o

The explosions continued, shaking the building as if it's entire foundation would crumble, but they were not getting any closer, they remained on the opposite side of the hospital, and Sara allowed herself a moment of hope.

A few minutes later, amidst the never-ending gunfire, Sara heard another sound - - an unearthly screeching and the thundering of hooves upon the tile floor. It started at the opposite end of the hall, coming a few steps closer, stopping to sniff at each doorway before proceeding - - something was searching, tracking. Sara could see Sam's jaw clench as he listened, and she knew that they were in trouble.

"_Take cover in the closet, Sara_" Sam whispered, his body rigid as he focused on the hunt that was currently taking place on the other side of the door and much too close for comfort.

There was so much that Sara had wanted to say to John, things she'd never gotten the chance to tell him, and now there was no time. "_I love you_" she whispered simply, before obeying Sam's direction.

Sara sat up quietly, careful not to make any noise as she placed her feet on the ground, taking the gun in her hand and climbing cautiously over the barrier. Sara slipped quickly into the closet, leaving the door open so she could still see Sam and John as she braced herself against the wall and sank to the ground in the darkness, clutching the gun with shaky hands.

In the hallway, she could hear the sound drawing ever closer, the room shook with ever step the creature took. It was directly outside their door now, and Sara found that she was holding her breath as the beast inhaled deeply, snorted loudly and let out a terrible screeching noise that reverberated down every corridor of the hospital.

Sam held his ground a moment longer, frozen where he stood, waiting to see if the creature would pass them by.

Suddenly, the creature hurled itself against the door, several feet of reinforced steel quaking in pain as the entire hallway shook under the massive onslaught. Again, the creature threw it's might against the door, using it's head as a battering-ram. Sara could tell that the center of the steel door had partially given way, allowing light from the hallway to be seen in the now-visible cracks between the door and the wall.

Sara watched as Sam moved away from the door, positioning himself behind the shield they had created to the left of the door, bracing the barrel of his weapon on the edge of one of the over-turned beds as he prepared to fire.

It would only be a few seconds now. Sara listened as the creature backed up for one final plunge, it's hooves colliding with the floor as it charged toward the door, shaking the room.

The steel door flew inward, striking the opposite wall with a deafening thud as it fell, completely defeated by the creature. Sara's breath caught in her throat as the beast entered, she had never seen anything so terrifying - - it was enormous, the size of an elephant or larger. It's head looked like that of some sort of prehistoric monster, it's body a winged horse, and it's tail a deadly spiked weapon of mass destruction as it smashed through the wall behind as it entered.

The room seemed to explode as Sam fired his weapon, hitting the creature square between the eyes, but the cartridge bounced harmlessly off the beast's armor-plated skull, having virtually no impact. Under attack, the beast turned it's attention immediately in Sam's direction, it's hoofed feet sliding gracelessly across the slippery tile floor, impeding it's ability to turn swiftly.

The monster may not have had the maneuverability it needed to change direction quickly, but it was deadly accurate with it's tail. Sara watched in horror as it's spiked-tail crashed violently into the barrier where Sam was crouched, sending the hospital beds and Sam's body flying across the room as if they were little more than paper-dolls.

Sam lay on the ground dazed as the animal charged in his direction, lifting it's head to let out a mighty roar as it bore down upon him. From her location in the closet, Sara screamed in terror, aiming her gun instinctively at the massive creature's retreating form and firing all three of her bullets in rapid succession, completely forgetting Sam's warning in her panic. Sara managed to hit the creature in the leg, slowing his charge, but her small caliber weapon had caused no real damage.

The creature's body continued to move toward Sam, but he now swivelled his head in irritation, his eyes searching in the direction of the gunshots for a target on which to release his tail. The beast's eyes locked onto Sara where she sat cowering in the closet. He flared his nostrils, swishing his tail angrily, intending to swat her like a gnat.

He never got the chance.

Behind them, Sam had managed to cock another capsule into the chamber, positioning his shot beneath the beast's now-exposed jaw and squeezing the trigger. Sam used the last strength he had to cock and reload again, pulling the trigger quickly and landing a second capsule directly beneath the first, separating the animal's head from it's body at the neck.

The creature's massive body dropped thunderously to the ground in the center of the room, shaking the floor beneath them.

Sara gasped in relief, the gunblasts still ringing in her ears as fresh tears streamed down her cheeks as she allowed her own now-empty weapon to fall from her hands. Lolling her head to the side, she looked across the room at John, still and unmoving on the bed, completely unharmed by the attack.

Satisfied that John was not hurt, Sara turned her attention toward Sam - - his eyes held hers for a second as he lay frozen in firing position, gun in hand. Slowly, Sam allowed the weapon to slide to the floor, exhaling the breath he had been holding. "_X-box_" Sam mouthed, smiling shakily and winking at her before closing his eyes and passing out.

Sara's chest clenched in fear, imagining the worst for a moment until she could see the gentle rise and fall of Sam's chest - - he was alive.

Through the now-open door, Sara could still hear gunfire taking place in other parts of the building. It may have been her imagination, but the sounds seemed to be getting closer. Sara said a silent prayer as she crept to her knees and peered around the closet door and out into the hallway - - _maybe Six had heard all the commotion and was on her way back to check on them_? _Maybe she and Siobhan were defeating the Mogadorians_?

Sara's heart sank, as suddenly, through the open door, she could hear heavy footsteps approaching, too heavy to belong to Six or Siobhan - - the beast had signaled their whereabouts to someone. Pushing herself backwards into the darkest corner of the closet, Sara watched as a Mogadorian commander walked slowly, deliberately into the room, his gun at the ready. His eyes paused briefly over the body of his fallen pet, but they did not linger at all on Sam, insignificant as he must have appeared to his eyes.

The warrior's attention was drawn immediately to John where he lay prone on the bed. He approached warily, cautious of some trap. The Mog reached out with the gun, shoving it roughly into John's chest and shaking him soundly.

"_Sleeping, Number 4_?" He questioned in sing-song voice, swinging the gun into the holster across his back. The assassin leaned menacingly over John, ignoring the make-shift shield completely as he pulled his knife from it's sheath.

All at once, the forgotten nightmares she had been having for the past month came back to her and Sara could remember them _all_ vividly - - trapped in quick-sand, tied down by snakes, drowning and unable to swim - - always, the Mogadorians were approaching, ready to kill.

Suddenly, Sara was certain that John was aware of what was happening outside of his body, he was trapped and scared and struggling to break free, only he couldn't.

_Where was Six_? Sara wondered frantically, pushing herself to her feet, it couldn't end like this.

The Mogadorian spoke a few words in his native tongue, a prayer or incantation of some sort, before raising the knife above his head, readying it to plunge into John's chest.

"_**Nooooooo!**_" Sara screamed, loud and anguished, charging from the closet without thinking and throwing the nearest object - - the bedside stool, full-force toward John's attacker.

The unexpected jolt was enough to knock the knife from the commander's hand, sending it skittering across the floor with a metallic clatter, but the Mogadorian himself was unfazed by her attack.

The Mogadorian turned, surprised to find that his attacker was a tiny slip of a human girl, and laughed heartily at her wide eyes as Sara looked up at him in terror.

Sara's momentum had thrown her to her knees and carried her closer to the enemy than she had ever been before and she backpedaled quickly, trying to give herself some distance. To her surprise, the Mog followed her. Momentarily distracted from John, the brute halved the space between them in only two broad steps.

Sara moved as quickly as she could, crawling backward across the floor as the commander pursued her. When she reached the threshold of the door, Sara turned quickly, righting herself and began to run down the hallway. The Mogadorian was only a few steps behind her, and Sara prayed that Six or Siobhan would arrive soon, knowing she was only a temporary distraction from his goal.

The Mogadorian overtook her swiftly, cornering her at the end of the first hallway. Sara tried to move to the left, but he stepped swiftly to block her escape, she tried to move right and he repeated the motion, effectively trapping her with his bulk. Then he smiled widely, his jagged teeth a grotesque picture as he reached toward Sara menacingly.

o

o

"_**Don't touch her**_" a voice commanded from behind.

o

o

The Mogadorian turned, his face registering complete shock for only a millisecond before his body was propelled directly through the concrete outer-wall and down several stories into the courtyard below.

As the smoke cleared, Sara could visualize a figure standing in the darkness in front of her, a beautiful blue glow shining brilliantly against the back-drop of destruction around them.

o

o

It was John.

o

o

o

_**One day soon I'll hold you like the sun holds the moon  
>And we will hear those planes overhead<br>And we won't have to be scared  
>'Cause we won't have to be scared<br>We won't have to be, yeah, scared, no**_

**_You're coming back for me_**  
><strong><em>You're coming back for me<em>**  
><strong><em>You're coming back to me<em>**  
><strong><em>You're coming back for me<em>**

**_You're coming back for me_**  
><strong><em>You're coming back for me<em>**  
><strong><em>You're coming back for me<em>**  
><strong><em>You're coming back for me<em>**

**_You're coming back for me_**  
><strong><em>You're coming back for me<em>**  
><strong><em>You're coming back for me<em>**  
><strong><em>You're coming back for me<em>**

**_You're coming_**  
><strong><em>You're coming back for me<em>**  
><strong><em>You're coming back for me<em>**  
><strong><em>You're coming back for me<em>**  
><strong><em>You're coming back for me<em>**  
><strong><em>You're coming back to me<em>**  
><strong><em>You're coming back to me<em>**

**_You're coming back for me_**  
><strong><em>You're coming back<em>**

o

o

o

**The End**


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note**: As requested by the lovely and kind **n2aabmmummy**, who has been a faithful reviewer of both of my stories, I will be working on one final chapter to wrap things up. _Who says reviews don't have impact_?

_**Coming soon**_: Letters from the Sky, The Epilogue


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note**: _So, per reviewer-request I have added one final chapter_. _Going along with the original song lyrics, the story for me was Sara's journey while she waited for John to come back, not really what happened __**after**__ he came back, so this is really more of an epilogue than a continuation_.

**Epilogue**

". . . . _and they lived happily ever after_" Sara concluded, reaching over to tuck the blankets tightly around the small boy before placing a kiss on his feverish forehead.

"_But what happens __**next**_?" the blonde cherub questioned insistently "_What happens __**after**__ John throws the Mog through the wall_?"

From the doorway, John smiled as he listened to J.J. grilling Sara. The seven-year old had been home sick from school with the flu, and Sara had been telling him a story to keep his mind off his illness. Unfortunately, it was well past bedtime and J.J. was showing no signs of drifting off to sleep any time soon.

". . . _How come John finally woke up_?_ Did Sara and John beat the Mogs_?" the child continued with his barrage of questions.

"_Get some sleep, my love_" Sara cooed "_I'll answer all of your questions in the morning_"

J.J scrunched up his face in irritation "_I'm not tired_" he insisted stubbornly, rubbing his eyes in an effort to fight the sleep that was now threatening to claim him.

Sara chuckled good-naturedly at his strength of will. "_Sick little boys need all of their rest in order to heal_" she informed him seriously, brushing a stray lock of hair from his face as she kissed him again.

"_But_ . . ." J.J. started to argue

"_Hey . . ._" John chimed in, walking into the room to kneel beside his son's bed ". . . _listen to your Mom, it's time to go to sleep_"

J.J. sighed loudly "_I can't sleep if I don't know what happens __**next**_"

John smiled, looking down at his son "_What happens next is John and Sara get married and have a stubborn little boy who refuses to go to sleep when he should_" he revealed, winking at Sara.

"_Mommy, will you stay with me tonight_?" J.J. asked, finally beginning to yawn sleepily.

"_Mommy needs to get her rest too right now_" John answered, laying his hand protectively across Sara's swollen belly "_Why don't I stay with you instead, just until you fall asleep_?"

"_Okay_" J.J. murmured, his eyes drifting shut.

Sara slipped out into the hallway, but couldn't resist listening to the conversation still taking place in her son's bedroom.

"_Daddy, how come John woke up when he did_?" the boy asked, his eyes popping back open.

"_Because Sara needed him_" John explained, smiling.

"_Did they beat the Mogs_?" the child repeated, his eyelids fluttering again

"_Yes_" John answered "_All that sleep had made John stronger, and reunited with the other Loriens, they defeated the Mogs once and for all_"

"_And saved Earth_" J.J. continued for him.

"_Yes, and saved Earth_" John confirmed "_Maybe if you go to sleep right now, you will wake up stronger too_?" he suggested

"_Okay Daddy_" J.J. whispered sleepily as his eyes drifted shut.

Several minutes later, John slipped out of the boy's room, careful not to wake him, his bare feet padding down the hall noiselessly. He found Sara brushing her hair in front of their dresser mirror.

"_Is he finally asleep_?" she asked over her shoulder

"_For now_" John answered, heading into the bathroom to brush his teeth.

"_I wonder where he gets that stubborn-streak_?" Sara mused, her eyes dancing with mischief as she propped a pillow behind her back, trying to get comfortable as she settled into the bed.

"_Humphhh_" John replied, his mouth too full of toothpaste for a witty rebuttal.

"_Don't forget Sam and Siobhan are coming next weekend_" Sara reminded him, flipping through her planner to see what she had scheduled for the following day - - if J.J. wasn't feeling better, she would need to get him in with the pediatrician.

"_I remember_" John affirmed

"_You and Sam need to get the nursery finished_" she murmured, patting her ever-expanding belly.

"_We will_" he promised a few moments later as he exited the bathroom, turning off the overhead light as he walked around to his side of the bed _"Is there anything you need_?" he asked before settling in.

"_No, I'm good_" Sara answered, shaking her head.

John climbed into bed beside Sara, giving her a quick peck on the lips before placing his lips a few inches from her belly and whispering conspiratorially "_Stubborn, ha_!_ See how your mother teases me_? "

Sara laughed as she watched John lay his ear gently against her tummy, his face contorted with mock concentration.

"_I see . . . I see . . . you don't say_?" John nodded seriously, speaking directly to Sara's belly.

"_What_?" Sara inquired, quirking her eyebrows in amusement.

"_Our daughter informs me that you told that bedtime story incorrectly_" John revealed

"_Oh yeah_?" Sara argued jokingly as she looked down at him "_Which part_?"

"_**You**__ saved __**me**__ that day, not the other way around_" he informed her, his eyes catching hers in a smoldering gaze _"__**You**__ gave me the strength I needed to pull myself out of the darkness_"

Sara's breath caught in her throat, it still made her heart race when John looked at her the way he was looking at her right now. "_We saved each other_" she whispered in compromise, her fingertips caressing his cheek as he looked up at her.

Sliding upward swiftly, he pulled Sara into a passionate kiss "_We saved each other_" he agreed, breaking the kiss for just a moment before pulling her even closer. Smiling, they sank into each others arms.

o

o

o

. . . and they lived happily ever after.

o

o

o

**The End**


End file.
